May 17, 2008
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Come and play; experience the joy and exhilaration of
moving water and springtime! You’ll learn how whitewater
canoeing can feel like a dance, with the river as your
partner.
If you’re new to whitewater canoeing, this trip is a
wonderful introduction. If you’ve ever found yourself in
some whitewater and muscled your way through…not quite
sure how you stayed upright (or maybe you didn’t), this
trip will offer you some wonderful alternatives. Or if
you’ve done some whitewater canoeing and want to improve
or brush up on your skills, you’ve come to the right
riverbank.
With a little instruction, you’ll learn basic whitewater
techniques that abundantly increase your pleasure in
paddling, while significantly reducing any fear you
might have. Our emphasis is fun, with gentle and
thorough instruction. Our guides truly love whitewater
canoeing, and have taught beginners for decades.
We’ll begin the morning with ground school, going over basic whitewater techniques like eddying and peeling out, side slipping to avoid rocks, ferrying, and reading the river. Then we’ll spend the rest of the day on the water, practicing and playing on the Bois Brule River—a perfect river for beginning whitewater paddlers. After a fun and full day, we’ll end at a local restaurant for a celebratory meal. Camping and/or hotel recommendations in the area are provided.
 You do not need any previous whitewater canoe
experience. You need to be comfortable in a canoe, and
ok with the possibility of getting very wet. Though not common, a canoe occasionally capsizes, which is not a
big deal. We paddle with extra clothes in dry bags so
you can change clothes if you get chilled. Feeling
nervous is fine—and very normal. Our instructors are
thorough, very safe, fun, and experts at teaching
whitewater (no yelling).
Watch the feature that National Geographic Today did on The Wild Institute's whitewater weekend.
The details…
What to bring: When you register, you’ll receive a packing list with everything you’ll need for the day. You bring only your personal gear. All canoe equipment and lunch are provided.
How much experience, how in shape do I need to be:
Though many women use their trip as motivation to get in
better shape before they go, no particular level of
fitness is necessary for this trip. You need to be
comfortable in a canoe, but do not need any previous
whitewater experience. Expect several hours of kneeling in the canoe (for stability and leaning into turns). The days are full, so plan on
playing hard during the day, and sleeping hard at night.
Can I sign up on my own: All women are welcome. Most
women sign up on their own, others register with
friends, mothers, adult daughters, partners, sisters.
Weather: Plan on anything from gorgeous spring weather
in the 70’s to chilly days in the 50’s. It gets cold at
night (usually in the low 40’s), but typically warms up
significantly during the day. The suggested clothing in
the packing list that you receive when you register will
help you be comfortable in all kinds of weather.
Meals: Food matters! A hearty and delicious lunch will be provided on the river.
What does my trip fee cover: Your trip fee of $175
includes all canoe equipment, lunch, and guides with combined experience of 50 years teaching whitewater to women.
Schedule: Plan on arriving in Brule, Wisconsin at 9AM on Saturday, May 17 (directions to follow when you register). We’ll start with ground school, then move to the river for a little more instruction, then several hours of practice and play on an easy stretch of whitewater. We’ll end early evening and enjoy a celebratory meal at a local restaurant. When you register, we can recommend various camping or hotel options in the area. We’ll also provide contact information of other participants so you can carpool or share camping/hotel costs if you like.
Group size: Groups are small, typically 6-10
participants with a very high ratio of instructors.
Transportation: The Bois Brule River in Brule, Wisconsin is about a four-hour drive of the Minneapolis/St Paul area. If you are flying, the closest major airport is Duluth, MN. Plan your flights for Friday evening (May 16) and Sunday morning (May 18) at the earliest. It’s likely you could make a Saturday evening flight, but weather and capsizes can sometimes delay your departure from the river.
Payment information: Your deposit is not refundable. If you must cancel, please do so in writing. If you cancel 50 days prior to the trip or more, the balance of your trip fee is refundable; 30 to 49 days, the balance of your trip fee is transferable to any other Wild Institute trip through the end of the following year; 0-29 days, the trip fee is not refundable or transferable. We strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance so that you can recover your losses should you need to cancel your trip. Some companies that Wild Institute participants have used are: CSA Travel Protection (800-348-9505) www.csatravelprotection.com/comfort, or Travel Insured, 800-243-3174. The Wild Institute reserves the right to alter trip plans due to severe weather, water/snow conditions, or other unforeseen circumstances.
How do I sign up: Please send your full trip fee of $175 along with your name, address, phone, and e-mail address.
The WILD Institute
P.O. Box 353
Loretto, MN 55357
Click Here to view and print registration form
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*Our canoe trips follow the American Canoe Association
standards for instruction and safety*
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